


Hello From The Other Side

by Uchihas_rose



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Post-Reichenbach, What Have I Done, What Was I Thinking?, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 23:08:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14963973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uchihas_rose/pseuds/Uchihas_rose
Summary: "I owe you a fall" - and Jim has kept his word, going over the edge of the Reichenbach Falls, leaving Sebastian behind. He's hurt. He wounded. And Irene Adler's text is not going to make it any better - or so he thinks. But Jim has left one final message for his tiger...





	Hello From The Other Side

**That bitch**

5/4/2012, 20:45 _My dear Colonel Moran-_

5/4/2012, 20:45 _Colonel-_

5/4/2012, 20:46 _Colonel Moran-_

5/4/2012, 20:47 _My dear Sebastian-_

5/4/2012, 20:48 _Dear Basher-_

5/4/2012, 21:00 _Sebastian,_

_As you can see I’m having some difficulty writing this and I’m already failing at the proper way of addressing you. I can imagine you’re surprised hearing from me, after all we’ve been through and I am very aware that I might not be the first person you want to talk about what happened. We had our difficulties, I know – that business in Belgravia, for example, several other occasions – but I just want you to know… If you someone to talk to, just any one – you can text me. Anytime. I’ve heard about what happened. Not only at the Reichenbach Falls but with the Firm as well. It’s all over the news, in Switzerland, France and London, of course. James pulled one last maelstrom just like he always does. That’s so Moriartian, don’t you think? The Reichenbach Falls… Well, he always had a knack for drama, didn’t he? To James Moriarty, the Napoleon of Crime and the King of Drama queens._

_So, like I’ve said – if you need anything, anything at all, call me. Or text me, whatever. I know you probably won’t believe it, but…_

_I am so sorry, Sebastian. I truly am._

_IA_

 

 

Sebastian stared at the text for full five minutes, reading it over and over again, without actually understanding anything Irene Adler had written. He felt empty. He wasn’t even angry about Jim’s way of finishing things off with Sherlock Holmes – like Irene said, Jim always had had a knack for drama and Sebastian had always known that idiotic, stubborn genius would at some point end up harming himself or his network. That simply was Jim’s way – changeable as always, unpredictable and impulsive. He couldn’t be angry at Jim for simply acting according to his nature.

He swallowed, took a deep breath and stared at his phone again, slowly starting to type a response but hesitating and deleting the few letters he had written so far, before throwing the phone down on the table and running his hands through his hair. His shoulders started to shake, and a whimper escaped his lips, followed by incontrollable sobs. He hadn’t cried for years. Death had always been a part of his life, for fuck’s sake, death even was his _business_ , he had been the _cause of death_ in multiple occasions, be it human or animal! Death had never affected him in any way. It was an on and on-going circle, life and death, death and life. Everyone and everything had to die at some point. That was the way of nature.

But right now, the realisation of the events happening at the Reichenbach Fall eight hours ago hit him like a slap across the face.

_James Moriarty was dead._

There was no way Sebastian would ever see him again, hear his never-ending lectures or perform a kill under his instructions. It was over. His years with the Firm, his position as second-in-command to the Napoleon of Crime – gone. All of it gone, swallowed by the gorge of the Reichenbach Falls, perishing at the cauldron.

His eyes were burning, and he felt something dripping down his cheek, falling on the floor.

The world wouldn’t mourn for James Moriarty. Scotland Yard clearly wouldn’t, Mycroft Holmes neither and probably even Jim’s brothers wouldn’t be much affected by the loss. The Firm was smashed almost completely, most of them in police custody, some on the run and only a mere handful had managed to slip through Scotland Yard’s and Mycroft’s monitoring, such as Irene Adler, their landlady, Mrs Halifax, and Sebastian himself.

In a few big gulps he emptied the bottle in front of him – Irish whisky, Jim’s favourite. Jim was very picky about alcohol, no, _had_ _been_. They had several bottles of whisky standing around, Irish, of course, since Jim wouldn’t drink any other. He had always loved his home, though he had loved London too and Sebastian had never been quite certain whether Jim had regretted his decision to leave Ireland or not.

“To James Moriarty”, he muttered quietly to himself while putting the bottle down on the floor, “rot in hell, you fucking bastard!”

 He felt better now. At least a bit. Cursing Jim lifted some of the pain from his chest, though not clearly enough.

He stared at his phone, read Irene’s message again, actually reading it for the first time, and then a second, before he started typing his answer.

 

 

 

5/4/2012, 21:36 _Thank you, Irene. But I don’t think I ever want to hear from you again._

_Delete my contact information and forget we ever did business with each other._

_SM_

~~5/4/2012, 21:38 _You still owe him money, you know. – SM_~~

Message deleted

5/4/2012, 21:40 _He knew you’d say that, Sebastian. There is something I have to show you. I’ve got some last instructions to hand over. Some marching orders, if you want to call it like that, Colonel._

_IA_

5/4/2012 21:41 _What the fuck are you talking about? What orders? By whom?_

_SM_

5/4/2012, 21:42 _Oh, my dear Colonel, isn’t it obvious? Did you really think he’d just disappear without planning ahead? You know what he was like, Sebastian – he doesn’t believe in coincidences. Plus, he was worried about you._

_IA_

5/4/2012, 21:43 _Stop messing with me, Irene! What orders are you talking about and who gave them to you?!_

_SM_

5/4/2012, 21:44 _Moriarty, of course. Who else?_

_IA_

 

 

5/4/2012, 21:45 **Location sent**

5/4/2012, 21:45 _That’s the place where I am supposed to sent you to. I don’t know what it is. He wouldn’t tell. Always good for a surprise, isn’t he, Basher?_

_IA_

~ * ~

The address Irene had sent him was a storage unit near the harbour. The door was unlocked and when Sebastian entered it, he feared someone might have robbed the unit aforehand. On second thought, it was unlikely. He couldn’t think of anybody who would’ve the balls stealing from Moriarty, especially not so short after his death. It would take some time until the realisation would hit the whole city of London – in a few weeks the storage unit wouldn’t be safe anymore, but the events were still fresh, and most people weren’t certain whether the rumours were true or not.

Sebastian turned the light on, waiting for the flickering lamp to stabilize and looked around. The unit was empty except for a large wooden box standing in the middle of the room. Knowing Moriarty, Sebastian emerged the box with care, throwing a stone against it to make sure it wouldn’t explode or to trigger some sort of mechanism Jim might have installed.

Nothing happened. He moved closer, still having his guard up until he could read the inscription written upon the box.

He recognized the box immediately – the brass lid was too familiar. It was his own chest, the one he had kept during his time at the 1st Bangalore Pioneers and which somehow had vanished at some point after he had moved in with Moriarty.

His hands were shaking while his fingers fumbled for the key around his neck. Slowly, he put the key inside the lock, turned it around and opened the chest.

It contained a letter on which his name was written in Jim’s delicate, precise handwriting  

Sebastian felt sick. His whole body trembling, he reached for the letter and opened it.

 

 

 

 

_My dear beloved Colonel,_

_If you are reading this, it means Ms Adler kept her promise and sent you the location of this storage unit. Make sure she pays you the money she still owes me and ensure “Belgariva” is never mentioned from her lips ever again. If she should spread word about what happened at that time, kill her the most painful and creative way you can think of._

_But, Basher, my love, if you are sitting here reading this, it also means another thing – I am dead. I hope it turned out the way I wanted it to and not in a prison cell or under any boring circumstances._

_If things turned out the way I had them planned, I will have died in Switzerland, at the Reichenbach Falls, taking Sherlock with me down to hell and you will have bared witness to it. At this point, I am truly sorry for causing you so much pain._

Sebastian paused a second and scoffed.

“Yeah, sure. Fuck you, Jim!”

_And now you’ll scoff and tell me to fuck myself, but it’s the truth. I never wanted you to have to watch me die, my love, but if you had stayed in London while the Yard made its arrests, you’d have got sentenced for life._

_You know I am more Drama queen than anything else and you know I’ve always been theatrically – hence this letter. I had also thought about encrypted text messages delivered to your cell phone after my death, but it wasn’t accurate enough since I couldn’t be sure when we would reach the Final Problem._

_I have some last things to tell you, Basher, and some final instructions to you which you are to oblige, so I hope you’re listening, Colonel Moran._

_When the time will come and Sherlock and I meet one last time at the edge of the Reichenbach Fall, I want to you know that, even if I haven’t said it nearly enough, I always appreciated your loyalty and your service. I always knew I could count on you – remember when I texted you in the middle of the night to finish off General Shan? You cursed and swore but still, you obeyed._

_So, here it is, one last time: Thank you, Colonel. Thank you for your years of service, for your loyalty and for staying by my side until the very end._

_The second thing I want to you know is that I love you. I have always loved you, tiger, and I always will. I want you to know that I will love you even beyond death, when the earth falls, humanity dies, the universe crumbles and the sun explodes in a ball of fire, I will still love you. I will never stop loving you, Sebastian, do you hear me?_

_Moving on, before I’m getting too emotional here and causing you to vomit… Are you ready for the final instructions, Colonel? The last marching orders you shall get from me?_

_First, I want you to **live**. You are not allowed to take your own life, Basher, my love, under no circumstances. You aren’t allowed to hire some bloke to kill you, either, just to make that clear. Live, Sebastian, for me. **Stayin’ alive** , remember? _

_Gamble, drink, kill, hunt – do whatever you want, but promise me to live._

_Second, rebuild the Firm. Gather whoever is left and continue my legacy. I have left you everything I own, Sebastian – all the houses, all the money, so make good use of it and continue what we’ve started together. Make London your personal jungle, tiger, make them tremble in fear when they hear your name, make them shit their pants when they see you. I leave London in your hands, since you are now the most dangerous man living in London._

_Third, give Mrs Halifax my thanks. I fear I’ve taken her for granted one too many times and I want her to know I’ve always appreciated her services with the Firm. She will remain loyal to you, I am sure, so you’ll be able to keep our apartment at Conduit Street._

_Forth, since I won’t be having a grave, it’ll be upon you to remember me. Play ‘I want to break free’ every year at the day of my death, fire a salute in my honour and drink on me. Don’t grieve upon my death, Sebastian, since death is something which shall strike us all one day but celebrate my victory._

_Fifth, my brothers. You have met both of them and you know we are not very close or overly fond of each other, but blood is thicker than water, as you will agree with me. I am not asking you to babysit them – they can do enough damage on their own. I am merely asking you to keep posted about them, know what they’re up to, not for their good but for yours. Family tends to be a curse and I don’t want you suffer under mine._

_At this point, my love, our ways shall part for the last time. Never forget that you are mine, Sebastian, now and always, that you have no master but me, tiger._

_I love you, Colonel Sebastian Augustus Moran. And I thank you for loving me._

_Very truly yours,_

_Professor James Moriarty_

_PS: Happy birthday, tiger mine_


End file.
